Montenegro's luxury hotels, from Sveti Stefan to the Bay of Kotor

Montenegro’s luxury offer is small and tightly clustered. Almost all of it is split between the Budva Riviera and the Bay of Kotor with Herceg Novi, and each area gives you a different kind of stay, so it’s worth being clear about that before you choose.

The Budva Riviera

The Budva tourist board’s list includes ten five-star hotels, and three have their own page in this guide. First is Aman Sveti Stefan, which occupies the stone houses on the islet and Villa Miločer on the mainland. Its website says the island opens for the season from 1 May to 31 October while the villa stays open all year, and its largest suite runs to 165 m² with a private pool. The Dukley, on the Zavala peninsula between Budva and Bečići, offers residences of 80 to 270 m² and penthouses of 300 to 500, with three private beaches and seven restaurants. And the Splendid, on the Bečići seafront, opened in 2006 and claims to have been the first five-star on the eastern Adriatic coast, with 322 rooms and what its website calls the country’s largest spa.

The Bay of Kotor and Herceg Novi

The other luxury area is the bay. In Tivat’s marina, the hotel once called Regent Porto Montenegro trades today as The Quince (I explain the change in the guide to hotels in Tivat); Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay and Heritage Grand Perast have their own pages, as does One&Only Portonovi on the Herceg Novi coast. These are hotels for anyone who wants the bay’s scenery and marina life rather than a long beach.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Sveti Stefan for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

When to go

Much of the coast’s luxury runs on a seasonal basis. Sveti Stefan island closes from 1 November to 30 April, and some of the riviera’s beach hotels, such as Montenegro Beach Resort, open only from April to October. Out of season, Villa Miločer stays open according to Aman’s website; for the rest, check each hotel’s own site before planning a winter trip.

What you won’t find

Ulcinj’s official list has no five-star hotels, and its top-rated, such as Palata Venezia inside the old town, have four. In the mountains, the national tourist board mentions chain hotels such as the Four Points by Sheraton, and the Dukley group runs a four-star Mountain Retreat in Kolašin, close to the ski slopes and Biogradska Gora. In Podgorica, the same site mentions five-star hotels and chains such as Hilton.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Sveti Stefan on GetYourGuide.

How I’d choose

For a short break as a couple, Sveti Stefan island is unbeatable, as long as you go between May and October. For a beach week with a touch of luxury, a riviera resort with its own beach, such as the Dukley or the Splendid, keeps Budva Old Town within strolling distance. And if you’re after mountains rising out of the water and superyachts, the Bay of Kotor. If what you really want is to pay once and stop thinking, look at all-inclusive hotels in Montenegro instead.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Sveti Stefan for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.